Dining Alone

“Honbap” is a Korean word for combining alone and rice, which means dining alone.

“Bento” is the Japanese word for a single-portion carryout or homemade meal, similar to the idea of a “brown bag” lunch in the western world.

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The one-person household has become the fast-growing type globally, and nearly half of this growth is in the Asia Pacific region: it has been the most common living arrangement in South Korea in the past few years. It is more than a third of total household numbers in Japan and expects to make up nearly 40% of Japan’s households by 2040.

This phenomenon is also happening in the United States. The one-person household has increased from 13.1% in 1960 to 28.4% in 2021.

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While society has gradually accepted this “lone wolf” lifestyle, I feel lucky🍀 that I’ve learned the pleasure of hanging out with myself during these years I traveled overseas.

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